Three reasons why the Boston Celtics started to win again

No. 1 Improvement of the role players

The bench unit for Boston seemed to the vulnerability that would eventually destroy the Celtics’ chances for a championship. Yet in the two-week run, their upper rotation players started to play winning basketball. Robert Williams III, Tristian Thompson, and Payton Pritchard all proved that they have the talent to at least play some playoff minutes when necessary.

Williams was finally healthy this season. But with several other big men competing for minutes, there was a limited role for him when the year started. That changed when the Celtics traded starting center Daniel Theis at the deadline to the Chicago Bulls, opening the starting position.

There are still some obstacles to using Williams like his issue with getting in foul trouble and his lackluster off-ball defense. Nevertheless, he showed he deserves the starting role. On April 2, his third start of the season, Williams scored a season-high of 20 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. Over the next six games, he scored over double-digit points three times and had at least seven rebounds in every game. His excellent pick and roll play and interior defense were two assets the Celtics desperately needed.

The other big man, Tristian Thompson, has played exceptional as well. There were questions about his attitude in the locker room, but he quickly put them to rest, being a leader on and off the court during the run. Thompson did the little things to get the Celtics motivation when they seemed to be struggling with his underrated defense and passing abilities.

Most importantly, though, the Celtics may have found their seventh man for the playoffs. Payton Pritchard was a questionable pick when the Celtics took the point guard 26th in the 2020 Draft. And while he flashes every once in a while, Pritchard could not find rhythm in the Celtics rotation. In the second half of the streak, Pritchard finally started to show some consistency.

In a four-game stretch against the Lakers, Warriors, Bulls, and Suns, Pritchard scored double-digit points. He did so while also making 35.0 percent of his 3-pointers with his limited minutes. Pritchard may not carry the Celtics to victory, but the rookie has shown he can light a spark on a relatively quiet bench when needed.

If the back end of the Celtics playoff rotation (players five through eight) can be as effective and harmonious as they were through their 9-2 run, the Celtics may have a chance to compete with the top teams.